


That Gut Feeling, Again

by Infinite_Principle



Series: Zai's *Click* Fics [1]
Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Chronic Illness, Eventual Smut, F/M, Medical Conditions, Multi, Or Maybe Quicksave Shenanigans, Time Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:26:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23410159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Infinite_Principle/pseuds/Infinite_Principle
Summary: To distract from the virus plaguing the streets and her own illness plaguing her body, Zai turns to a certain otome game for an escape.That backfires on her spectacularly when she physically arrives in the Devildom and needs some help to hide how well she really knows all these hot demons.But is it actually helpful to be stuck in some sort of quicksave infused hell? And how will she get through the year without dying when she never got around to finishing the game?---I decided to try my hand at a topic dear to my heart; chronic illness - unromantisized. I plan to eventually get smutty and/or romancey, but first Zai needs a place in this world and to get used to her new 'time constraints'.
Series: Zai's *Click* Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700638
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	That Gut Feeling, Again

**Author's Note:**

> TW: description of a medical syringe/needle. Medical stuff.  
> Grammarly told me I had 53 issues in this chapter that they'd only help me with if I paid them money. So no, y'all get spellcheck and basic-bitch grammar and that's it.

"How are you going with the game so far Zai?" Emci asked excitedly. "Got a favourite demon yet?"

Zai smiled at her friend's enthusiasm (and at the question). Emci's newest obsession was Obey me!, an otome game full of _very_ good looking demons. They were completely up do date on the main story and had unlocked far more of the Devilgrams than was financially responsible.

They'd even managed to get Zai into it, since _'once you unlock an episode it's unlocked forever and you can go back and read earlier chapters as many times as you like and that's, like, the best? For a free game?'._

"I'm enjoying it. I'm up to Lucifer sharing with his brothers why he's so obedient to Diavolo? I hadn't realised how much of a demon Diavolo was until about now."

"Oh damn, yeah there's some drama right there. But! Fave boy, tell me!"

"Okay, okay, let me think." Zai considered the attractive options. "Hmm... I'd say Satan... and Asmodeus... and also--" Emci's eye's filled with mirth as Zai continued to mention more than half the characters in the game. Zai always had a problem picking favourites and it made for great teasing material.

"So what I'm hearing is..." Emci paused to raise an eyebrow at Zai "you want an orgy with all these guys?" Zai spluttered. "You're getting bold girl, I remember when you just wanted a threesome with two characters from The Arcana!"

"You need your hearing checked then because that's not what I said!" Zai and Emci stuck their tongues out at each other before Zai continued. "Individually, maybe two, sure. I don't think they could handle sharing like that though? I think the Devildom would implode."

"Ah, but Beelie-boy isn't on the list, and he's so your type!"

"Yeah, but he's always eating, which is frustrating to me. I miss being able to eat whatever, you know?" Zai sighed. Emci knew. It was an ongoing problem for Zai, and it had been hard on them to not be able to help, beyond...

"Hey, Zai?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna be able to take your Pen without me?"

Zai's face said no. Her body posture... also said no. It had been months since Zai had last been able to take it herself as she had such an aversion to the pain. Emci recalled the first time Zai asked for help. They'd been out on a run when they received three messages in quick succession, asking if they were free, if they could come over immediately, and if they'd used an Epi-pen before. 

_\--_

_"Ok Zai, I'm here, what's up?"_

_Zai looked up at Emci from her seat on the floor, tears so rampant that they'd left marks along her cheek and were soaked into her jumper. Her long teal skirt was pulled up to expose one pale thigh and she was holding a small grey and pink tube which she shakily showed to Emci. Her voice hiccuped when she spoke._

_"I-, I need to take my Humira, or I'll get sicker- but it-, it hurts so much, an-, and I, I just can't do it-"_

_"ah, okay. It'll be okay girl. I've got ya." Emci knelt next to their long-time friend to hug them. Zai cried into their shoulder for a while, the pen clutched to her chest, too upset to notice or comment about Emci's sweaty shirt. Emci hid their surprise at the situation behind a mask of calm. It was time to play doctor, not get emotional. They shuffled into a more comfortable position, where they could be on their phone while still keeping an arm around Zai and started watching a how-to video, moving to give Zai a better look after she had calm down._

_"So, not quite like an EpiPen." Zai nodded her agreement, sniffling slightly as she sat upright from the slouch she'd had for the hug. Emci withdrew their arms and sat, holding a hand out for the pen. "So, you've taken the caps off the ends." Emci looked at the pen in her hand, the clear liquid visible through a small window in the grey plastic cover. "And this stuff's clear, which means the medicine will work." Zai nodded again, though Emci was mostly speaking to herself now. "So, place this end against your thigh, then hold steady and push the pink button until I hear a click. Keep it there until I see the yellow indicator...alright. Are you ready, Zai?"_

_Zai seemed to be looking a bit pale now, but there wasn't much that could be done. She bit her lip. "Sort of, you can get ready, but I think I still need to be the one to say when the button gets pushed." Emci frowned._

_"You've already taken this long though, are you going to be able to-"_

_"Please, Emci. It... I need to have some control over this. I can't-, I need something right now." Emci sighed and nodded._

_"Alright, I'll wait for you." Emci looked over Zai's thigh and carefully placed one end onto it. "When you're ready girl."_

_Zai surprised them when after only a few seconds, she said_

_"Ready."_

**_*CLICK*_ **

_"AAAAHHHH!!!!"_

\--

Zai, although tension was oozing off her said "I'll be fine. I'll distract myself somehow, play music, think happy thoughts or something like that."  
"Zai..." Emci looked worried.  
"What, Emci? You're still in self-quarantine for the next week at least. I've already warmed the pen up to room temperature, so it's gotta happen tonight. It'll be fine." Zai gave Emci a half-smile. "I'll pretend I'm you." Emci laughed at that.  
"Aight. Lemme know when you do it though?"  
"Mmhmm." Zai yawned, making Emci laughed at her, before yawning themselves.  
"Oh no you've done it now!"  
The yawn bounced between them, along with accompanying giggles. There were a few attempts at speaking, punctured by even more yawning, until they finally settled again.  
Emci spoke first. "I should let you go, hey? Don't fall asleep before you take your meds." Zai rolled her eyes.  
"Yes boss, thanks boss, I'll get right on it boss."  
"Night Zai."  
"Goodnight Emci."  
Zai clicked the end call button on her laptop and sighed.

_I miss being able to see people in person._ But the last thing she wanted was to end up in a hospital hooked up to a ventilator. _Or worse, end up in a hospital where they've run out of ventilators because people kept leaving the house when they "didn't feel sick" and spreading the virus to everyone else and then the hospital staff have to decide who to try to keep alive and who to leave to die by lack of oxygen-_

Zai snapped her mind off that thought path. _Slow breaths now_ . She'd accidentally made her body think it was in danger. Adrenaline felt like it was oozing over her skin, glugging through her shoulders and chest. As she let air into her lungs, she imagined her adrenaline dripping off her and falling to the ground. That it was leaving her. slowly, with an ebb and flow like a lowering tide, her body calmed.

Then she remembered her pen. Adrenaline quickly coursed back through her. _Dammit_. 

She grabbed the pen and a blanket and sat back into her chair. She always felt cold these days, but taking her meds made her feel even colder. _maybe I should put this damn thing in the oven for a few minutes so it's not so chilling. Then I wouldn't need a jumper, a scarf, and a blanket just to exist. That sounds stupid. Very stupid. Don't put medicine in the oven._

She removed the caps from the pen, revealing the pink button at one end and the hole-with-the-pointy-thing in the other. Pulling up her teal skirt she looked carefully over her right thigh for a place to put the pen. Holding the pen in her fist, she placed it in the chosen spot. She could already feel her hand shaking a little. She needed a distraction

Grabbing her phone, Zai brought up Obey Me and continued the story, ending up engrossed in it and forgetting about her pen. _Barbados, what? Diavolo forbid you? What is even going on? When did- What? How? But-  
  
The fuck? How do you even? Okay no it's stop time. I need to have my pen and sleep!_

She went to devilgram instead, hitting autoplay on her favourite Satan Devilgram. _Hit the button and you'll let yourself kiss him!_

Then she sat there, staring at the screen.

Willing herself.

To push.

The.

Button.

A tear slid down her cheek and she closed her eyes. She placed her thumb on the button of her pen. She was breathing harder now, heading towards some sort of panic. 

That oozing feeling over her skin was back. Or... _Wait. That felt different.  
_

She opened her eyes. _Where...am I? This... courtroom? There are candles, and some men over..._

...

...

She quickly moved her hand to cover her mouth in shock.

***CLICK***

"Welcome to the Devildom, Zai."

"MMMFFFRRGGHHH"

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! I actually intended to put more into the first chapter but it's late and I want to get this out there so I can find the courage to keep going. This might get edited tomorrow after I've had the chance to sleep.  
> You can look up "Humira Pen" on google to see what it looks like if you're curious.  
> Next chapter will be actually introducing the boys to the real world: using wind power for decision making is stupid.  
> Warm thanks to Angenou for inspiring me and telling me to Write A Thing. This is that thing, you Hot Mess in Hell.  
> ____  
> Update 3/4/2020 : I started this when I was at the start of chapter 15 and I thought that I was being just _so_ original with my time loop idea. Now I've progressed and realised that canonically, Barbatos actually has some dominion over time and just... wow. What is going on? So I'm going to leave this until I'm a bit closer to up-to-date and can decide how close to canon I want to become. Because this is... very unexpected.


End file.
